Jalal seeks to explain how the principles of Islamic ethics--within the Muslim world itself--have been distorted and abused by political, economic and social interests. She concentrates on South Asia, where Muslims are in the minority and where they have faced a nuanced battle, over many centuries, to reconcile inner faith with temporal ambition. And she focuses on the most distorted principle of all--that of "jihad."
   --Philip Delves Broughton, Wall Street Journal

While numerous books have appeared recently on the topic of Islamic jihad, few have focused specifically on jihad in South Asia. Jalal here examines the concept of jihad as it has been understood over the past several centuries in that region. She notes that more than a third of all Islamic people live in South Asia and that the meaning of jihad has undergone significant changes there over time, owing largely to political and social transitions...She provides a more thoughtful and insightful perspective on jihad than can be found in many other works.
   --John Jaeger, Library Journal

While discussion of Islam tends to focus on the Arab world, Jalal makes a compelling case for paying attention to south Asia, where a Muslim minority has had a long and complex relationship with other communities--each period of history seeing a shift in ideas of jihad...One thing that Partisans of Allah makes clear is that religious discourse within Islam fluctuates widely, and is entwined with geopolitics...An erudite and thought-provoking study of the interplay of religion and politics, with some particularly interesting things to say about the history of south Asian Muslims’ focus on the “outer husk” of religion, often to the detriment of “inner faith.”
   --Kamila Shamsie, The Guardian

Intelligent, erudite and timely. This is an important and compelling historical narrative that spans the depth and breadth of the history of Islam in South Asia. By far the best intellectual history of jihad, this work will greatly enrich the study of Islam, South Asia, and Islamic activism.
   --Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future

Based on a vast command of the relevant literature, wide-ranging, meticulous research, fine-tuned analysis, and deep critical thinking, Partisans of Allah traces the history of ideas about jihad and its ethical practice from the early days of Islam to the present. This important book travels the entire Muslim world and should be urgent reading for anyone concerned with cultural politics inside present-day globalization.
   --David Ludden, New York University

Jalalrestores the much used concept of jihad to its enabling history of radical self-examination in the pursuit of justice and freedom, treading a fine balance between religious faith and secular belief. This is a courageous and brilliant book for a hopeful future beyond the quagmire of those who believe in the clash of civilisations
   --Homi Bhabha, Harvard University

It is difficult to imagine a more timely or a more thoughtful book on this subject. Jalal's subtle reinterpretations sweep away many of the misconceptions fostered both by Western commentators and contemporary Muslim publicists.
   --Christopher Bayly, co-author of Forgotten Wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia

Ayesha Jalal is Mary Richardson Professor of History, Tufts University.

Read More by Ayesha Jalal:

• The Shock of the Global: The 1970s in Perspective